In his book In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan offers three simple, easy-to-remember “rules” for eating:

  1. close up of a healthy bowl of vegetable stir fryEat food.
  2. Not too much.
  3. Mostly plants.

These guidelines are very aligned with the 2015 USDA recommendations and those developed by Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate, which include choosing whole grains, eating lean protein like fish and chicken instead of red meat, drinking plenty of water, using healthy oils, and filling almost half your plate with healthy produce.

Here are general guidelines that apply to everyone and are important for good health.